Thousands of Ladakhis and Tibetans, dressed in their traditional attires, welcome His Holiness the Dalai Lama upon his arrival in Leh, Ladakh, J&K on July 29, 2013.

DHARAMSHALA, July 30: Tibetan spiritual leader His Holiness the Dalai Lama arrived in Leh town in Ladakh region of north India on Monday morning for a three-week stay during which he will undertake a meditational retreat for the cause of Tibet.

The Dalai Lama left for Ladakh from Pune city in Maharashtra, where he took part in public events, including an interactive session with Dada JP Vaswani on his 95th birthday celebrations on Sunday.

According to the Tibetan Chief Representative Officer in Ladakh, His Holiness was received at the airport by the 102nd Ganden Tripa Rizong Rinpoche and other senior lamas, Honourable Tourism Minister of Jammu & Kashmir state, Nawang Rigzin Jora, Chief executive councilor of Ladakh, and other local Indian, Ladakhi, and Tibetan dignitaries.

From the airport, the Dalai Lama headed to Phodrang Shiwatsel in Choglamsar, 10 km from Leh, where he is scheduled to reside for the entire duration of his stay.

According to the CRO, the Tibetan spiritual leader told the gathered dignitaries that he will be staying in Ladakh for three weeks during which he will “undertake a strict meditation retreat for the cause of Tibet.”

In 2014, the Dalai Lama is scheduled to confer Kalachakra initiations in Leh, Ladakh from July 3 to 14.

During the first three days of the Kalachakra, from July 3 to 5, His Holiness the Dalai Lama, along with the monks of Namgyal Monastery and senior lamas, will conduct rituals, including chanting of prayers, creation of the sand mandala and other rituals, which prepare and consecrate the venue.

From July 6 to 8, His Holiness will give preliminary teachings and on July 9, the Kalachakra Ritual Dance will be performed by the monks of Namgyal Monastery.

His Holiness will confer the Kalachakra Initiation from July 10 to 13 and on July 14, a long life empowerment (tsewang) and a ceremony offering prayers for the long life of His Holiness the Dalai Lama will be performed.

The Kalachakra initiation, first taught by Buddha Shakyamuni, is considered by Buddhists as one of the most important teachings.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama has conferred the teachings on 32 different occasions, with the first being in May 1954 at Norbulingka, Lhasa, Tibet and the latest at Bodhgaya, India in January 2012.